AN NHS doctor has expressed frustration at the Home Office's refusal to let his mother stay in the UK, and on Monday (7) appealed directly to prime minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel to resolve the situation.
Dr Nishchint Warikoo, the lead psychiatrist for child and adolescent mental health services in Hampshire, said he plans to quit the NHS and relocate to Australia if his mother isn't granted permission to stay in the UK.
Warikoo said he and his family were being forced to leave the UK in a bid to stay together.
Warikoo's 71-year-old Indian-born mother Phoola is a widow and he is her only child. The doctor, who became a British citizen in 2014 and has worked in the NHS for 15 years, argues that he has no relatives in India who may take care of her.
Tweeting Johnson and Patel on Monday, Warikoo wrote: “I am a British citizen, NHS consultant, and a researcher. Have cared for thousands of children with mental health problems, saved many young lives and helped thousands of families in distress. Now my family is forced to leave the country. Help please.”
Warikoo has resolved to leave the UK before Christmas if the Home Office does not decide on his mother’s case by December, or if they refuse her leave to remain.
He has already been offered a job in Australia.
The 46-year-old told the Guardian: “It’s very stressful for us as a family. We don’t want to leave the country. But we are being forced to because we are in this limbo state. The Home Office have displayed an almost callous attitude to this case.
“I need to know as soon as possible if my mother is going to be allowed to stay or not, because I can’t take this any more. I have worked so hard for young people and families in Britain in my time here and now I want some support from the system for my family, for it to show a bit of flexibility.”
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)